Why “unauthorized”? Well, it’s not written or approved by any of the fine folks at Comic-Con International. And although the book contains no scandalous revelations of behind-the-scenes shenanigans, it does give you a number of tips and tricks, to get where you need to go and do what you need to do in order make the most of your trip, that they couldn’t necessarily include in their official literature.

And this book is a MUST HAVE for Comic-Con newbies. I’ve seen the questions asked all over the web on how to handle the lines, autographs, exclusives, hotels, food, and more. It’s all in this book. Even I re-learned some things I forgot while I was writing it. No matter who you are or why you go to the show, The Unauthorized San Diego Comic-Con Survival Guide has something for you.

The best part about The Unauthorized San Diego Comic-Con Survival Guide is that it comes in a pocket-sized 3 1/2 x 5 inch format that easily fits into your pocket, purse, or backpack, for easy access whether you’re sitting in line or racing around the floor. It’s a great compliment to the big official event guide they provide, but so much easier to grab when you’re in a pinch.

The book not only gives you what you need to survive the convention center floor, it also prepares you for the event before you even buy your membership ticket (well, next year’s). And let’s not forget the all-important post-show recovery. It’s got more information than you ever knew you needed to survive the biggest geek event of the year!

And for a limited time, if you help get the word out about The Unauthorized San Diego Comic-Con Survival Guide, you could win a free 4 day pass to San Diego Comic-Con 2011! Just “LIKE” our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (doing the same with popculturegeek.com doubles your chances).

For more information, check out http://sdccsurvivalguide.com/.

Grab the book now and get it delivered anywhere in the world BEFORE the doors open on July 21st!

After nearly 4 months of LOST inspired artwork being created and sold as prints on damoncarltonandapolarbear.com, the 16th and final piece (by Taylor Stout) was revealed at an exhibition of all the original works, along with dozens of additional LOST artwork done in various mediums by an amazing and diverse collection of artists. The concept of LOST-inspired fan art was presented almost 5 months ago at the final San Diego Comic-Con LOST panel by comedian Paul Scheer playing the part of an overzealous fan (was he REALLY just playing a part?) forcing the odd but transparently named Damon, Carlton, and a Polar Bear velvet painting upon the executive producers (the velvet artwork was actually done by the artist Misha, but pulled from the mind of Scheer). Little did the fans know at that point what would be born out of that manic presentation back in July… an online scavenger hunt with cryptic clues leading to random locales all over the world, limited edition prints selling out within seconds of being offered, and eventually an exhibit put on by the people of Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles with executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse in attendance along with a number of more anonymous LOST creative staff and many of the artists who contributed the art adorning the walls that night.

Some fans lined up for more than a day to be the first to witness the unveiling and get access exclusive LOST goodies, including a t-shirt based on one of the most popular prints. All artwork was available for purchase (often at prices crafted from the show’s ubiquitous numbers, such as $815 or $1516), signed by the artist and LOST Lindelof and Cuse. For those that missed the event, the work will be on display exclusively at Gallery 1988, 7020 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90038, through December 24th, 2009. For information on gallery hours and more, go to Gallery 1988.

To see images of every single work of art (and their prices), go to lostundergroundartshow.blogspot.com. You’ll also find pictures from the event: the art, the crowd, and the best Team Jacob shirt ever on the popculturegeek Flickr site.

Music in the video is by Geronimo Jackson, a band made famous on the LOST tv series. © 2009 ABC Studios. No infringement is intended.

If you’re going to the San Diego Comic-Con, you haven’t missed your chance to see the Battlestar Galactica Orchestra just yet. The tickets just went on sale for the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances (July 23, 24, 25) at the House of Blues in San Diego. Space is limited, so get your tickets now! More information about the shows is available on Bear’s Battlestar Blog.

By the way, in earlier posts to our Twitter, I mentioned that they weren’t permitting pictures to be taken, even though Bear had expressed a desire to get photos from fans on his blog (UPDATE: now his blog says no FLASH photography. Too bad the folks running the show didn’t make that distinction or I would have taken more pictures and probably would have held the camera in a way that would have yielded me better results). And sorry for not getting any of Katee, but she was on the other side of the stage. In fact, she appeared on stage with so little fanfare, that I wasn’t even sure it was her until after the show when I asked one of the band members. Oh well, next time.

Check out our photos on Flickr

There has been much speculation as to what the convention center could do to keep Comic-Con in San Diego, where it brings in millions in revenue for the city every year. And since Comic-Con‘s current contract with the convention center ends in 2012, they’ve got some decisions to make. Some have suggested that they move the whole thing to Las Vegas, where there are more than enough hotels to handle the crowds (but it’s SUPER HOT in July and we sure wouldn’t be the only convention in town), or Los Angeles, where… okay, LA is just a horrible idea. Yes, downtown is getting better (safer, more interesting), but it’s still a long way from being able to accomodate the kinds of masses that overflow the Gaslamp District in downtown San Diego every year. That many geeks would destroy downtown LA. Or they’d wander one block outside of the “safe zone” and end up getting stripped for nerd parts, which would leave more than one geek without the money to buy lots and lots of exclusive action figures. Regardless, San Diego is doing something about it. In fact, Comic-Con is so important to the survival of the convention center and the prosperity of the city, that they were the only convention client invited to speak at the press conference held last September when the expansion project was first proposed.

The convention center currently has 814,000 square feet of space, which would be increased up to 1.2 million square feet with the expansion toward the bay side of the structure. They’re even planning on creating a footbridge that will arc from 4th street, right outside the Hilton, over the convention center and ending on the bay side of the building where all of the construction will take place, expanding not only into more meeting space, but also places for dining and shopping, including a rooftop restaurant. These conceptual renderings and the video below gives us an idea of what we can hopefully expect by the year 2014…

Yes, I know that much of the proposals made last year is old news, because I’m sure that some of you may have been following this story since then, but things really picked up on June 2nd, when SignOnSanDiego.com posted this article about the latest developments in the new expansion plans. I’m excited for the potential that will come out of this expansion, not just for San Diego (retail revenue, jobs), but for my fellow geeks. I’m not sure that making Comic-Con bigger is the way to go, but if they can make the area where we can hold Comic-Con bigger, then I’m all for it. I’ve spent many years at the San Diego Comic-Con learning how to walk sideways through sweaty crowds grasping for rare and collectible promotional goodies, but I’d be thrilled if I didn’t have to do that anymore. Breathing room is nice (did I ever tell you about the year when the air conditioners stopped working one day? phew!). Either way, I’ll be the guy standing about a mile and a half back in the line wrapped around the building, waiting to get into Hall H every morning, just like everyone else…

Check out the hundreds of available items here. Odd are that if there’s a BSG character you love, there’s a prop associated with him or her or… it. I imagine that some of the most popular items might be Kara‘s dogtags, Joseph Adama‘s lighter, Athena‘s flight suit, any kind of Galactica rank pins and insignia, Roslin‘s desk, the Arrow of Apollo, command tables and consoles from the Galactica‘s CIC, or even a Cylon resurrection tub! Oh yes, and a full size (about 30 ft long each) Raptor, a full size Mark VII Viper, and a huge full-size Cylon Raider. Insane! I need to win the lottery between now and Saturday…

By the way, there’s a great article in the latest issue of one of my favorite printed publications, Geek Monthly magazine (grab the one with the Paul Rudd cover), about the final days of the Star Trek Experience. Hopefully, this more recent news will help turn things around for both the Star Trek Experience and Neonopolis.

I was lucky enough to go through the entire Experience in 2007 with a friend and we were also able to take the behind-the-scenes tour. For a big Trek fan like me, it was a great geeky time, especially when they showed us how they “transported” us.

Below… some footage of the history of the Star Trek Experience and the dismantling of the Enterprise after the closing…

I am pleased to announce the release of the second assessment in the Dharma Initiative’s Volunteer Recruitment Program.

This new test is a broad-spectrum knowledge analysis. It is a multiple-choice test covering a range of topics.

YOUR FIRST ATTEMPT AT THIS TEST WILL BE THE ONLY ONE THAT WILL BE RECORDED AGAINST YOUR OVERALL TEST RESULTS. THE TEST WILL BE TIMED – DURATION WILL BE FACTORED INTO THE FINAL RESULT.

I would also like to encourage recruits to take the opportunity to earn extra “Dharma” points. These points WILL contribute to your overall test results and the eventual position you will be assigned within the Dharma Initiative.

(All this is, of course, part of the latest alternate reality game put on by ABC to promote Lost. You probably knew that already but I thought I’d share just in case.)

By the way, get ready for lots more pictures to show up on Flickr when we cover the San Diego Comic-Con 2008 in a few weeks. Until then, check out all of our pictures from the previous years…

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Wait. Unless…

Unless this just means we’ll now be insulted… in a more grammatically correct way.

If you’re curious, Merriam-Webster defines “fanboy” as “a boy who is an enthusiastic devotee (as of comics or movies).” I suppose it’s as concise a definition as any, though I expect the legions of fangirls out there feel slighted. It’s discrimination, I tell you! What about all the Slave Leias and Wonder Women and Lara Crofts out there, huh, Merriam-Webster? Do their feelings matter less to you? Huh? Huh??!!